The former leader died early on Wednesday of complications following a stroke. He was 93.

His body is lying in state in the plaza of the Knesset, Israel's parliament.

The coffin, draped in a blue and white Israeli flag, will remain at the Knesset throughout Thursday for Israelis to pay their respects.

Scores of world leaders, including US President Barack Obama, former US president Bill Clinton and French President Francois Hollande, will attend Mr Peres's funeral in Jerusalem on Friday.

It is expected to be the largest such gathering in Israel since the funeral of prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, assassinated by a Jewish nationalist in 1995.

Over his seven-decade political career, Mr Peres held nearly every post in Israel's government, including serving two terms as prime minister.

He transformed from a hawk to a Nobel prize-winning advocate of reconciliation with Palestinians. As Israel's ninth president, he cultivated admiration for his youthful optimism.